Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? Give her a copy of my new book Chloe’s Kitchen!

Pick up a copy from your local bookstore or order it on amazon for only $10.98. I dedicated the book to my mom and it is also filled with some of my mom’s famous family recipes (veganized!), so it’s full of “mommy” inspiration! Or maybe YOU will be doing the cooking this Mother’s Day… If so, try one of these easy recipes from Chloe’s Kitchen that my mom goes crazy for.

Chloe’s mom’s favorite dishes from Chloe's Kitchen:

1.Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip

2. Stuffed Shells in Arrabiata Sauce

3.Tempeh Piccata

4.Pancakes for Dinner

5.Chocolate Walnut Fudge

6.“Chlostess” Crème-Filled Cupcakes

Sending love to all the motherly figures that will be celebrated or remembered this weekend for their love and kindness!

Happy Mother's Day! (photo taken by Peter Murphy during a photoshoot at my book launch in NYC)

San Francisco Favorites

1. Millennium

http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/
Fancy fine-dining vegan experience. Perfect for a special occasion. I ate here with my family on my college graduation! Everything on the menu is incredible, flavorful, and mind-blowing! $$$$
Must order: Crusted Oyster Mushrooms- it’s like vegan calamari!

2. Cha-Ya

http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com/restaurants/cha-ya/
All-vegan Japanese sushi house. $$$
Must order: Cha-Ya Roll

3. Herbivore

http://www.herbivorerestaurant.com/
All-vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. I ate here with my family when I visited for a UC Berkeley orientation- and my meal was so good it convinced me to attend Berkeley! $$
Must order: Grilled Seitan Shwarma

4. Long Life Veggie House

http://www.yelp.com/biz/long-life-vegi-house-berkeley
The BEST vegan Chinese food that ever existed. All my non-vegan college friends were obsessed with it too. Plus, the lunch special is only $4.95 and includes an entrée, rice, soup, and spring roll! $
Must order: Broccoli Vegi Chicken and Tan Tan Noodles

5. Smart Alecs

http://www.smart-alecs.com/
Casual, healthy, fast-food with great vegan options. Fries are a must! $
Must order: Tofu and Avocado Sandwich with Garlic Fries

6. Cinnaholic

http://www.cinnaholic.com/
All-vegan cinnamon roll bakery. Need I say more? $
Must order: everything!

7. Papalote Mexican Grill

http://www.papalote-sf.com/
Casual burrito café that is famous for their addictive salsa and extensive vegan options. $
Must order: vegan mole!

8. Gracias Madre

http://www.gracias-madre.com/web/
Creative, healthy, vegan Mexican food with housemade cashew cheese. $$
Must order: Quesadillas de Calabaza

9. Greens

http://www.greensrestaurant.com/
Nice vegetarian restaurant with an assortment of vegan options. $$$
Must order: Mesquite Grilled Brochettes

10. Ike’s Place

http://ilikeikesplace.com/
Famous sandwich shop with a line around the block! Tons of original vegan options. $
Must order: Vegan Meatless Mike on Dutch Crunch bread- my brother’s favorite!

New York Favorites

1. Candle 79

http://candle79.com/
Delicious elegant vegan cuisine with the most beautiful atmosphere. $$$$
Must order: Seitan Piccata

2. Café Blossom

http://www.blossomnyc.com/cafeblossom.php
Spacious and modern vegan café. Exciting brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, and drink menus! $$
Must order: Black Eyed Pea Cake

3. Franchia

http://www.franchia.com/
Beautiful zen vegan tea house. Asian-fusion cuisine with an assortment of sushi, dumplings, noodles, and delicious tea-infused smoothies. I love eating here for lunch with my mom. $$
Must order: Assorted Dumplings

4. Hangawi

http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/
Fancy vegan Korean restaurant. Gorgeous décor. Guests take their shoes off at the door! $$$$
Must order: Spicy Kimchi Mushroom Pancakes

5. Candle Café

http://www.candlecafe.com/
Fun, casual, healthy vegan cuisine. $$
Must order: Seitan Chimichurri Skewers

6. Souen

http://souen.net/
Very healthful macrobiotic café. $$
Must order: Yuba in Soup- so comforting and delicious!

7. Gobo West Village

http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm
Fun and fancy atmosphere. Extremely delicious Asian-fusion vegan cuisine. I suggest going with a large group so you can taste many things! $$$
Must order: Natural Seitan Medallions in Sizzling Spicy Citrus Sauce

8. Johns of 12th Street

http://www.johnsof12thstreet.com/
Traditional New York Italian food with a separate all-vegan menu! Fun environment and nice owners that welcome customers like family. $$
Must order: Vegan Cannoli for dessert!

9. Terri NYC

http://terrinyc.com/menu.html
Fast, casual, vegan to-go café. Perfect stop for a mid-day juice or smoothie! $
Must order: Green Power Smoothie

10. Lulas Sweet Apothecary

http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/
All-vegan ice cream parlor. Fun location and amazing frozen desserts! $
Must order: Cake Batter Ice Cream

1. Café Gratitude

http://www.cafegratitudela.com/
Fresh, healthy, inventive raw and cooked vegan cuisine. $$
Must order: “I am Magical” burger or “I am Humble” bowl. For dessert, “I am Luscious” shake!

2. Native Foods

http://nativefoods.com/
Casual and hearty vegan food. Flavorful and filling burgers, salads, and bowls. $
Must order: Ensalada Azteca salad or Scorpion Burger

3. Veggie Grill

http://www.veggiegrill.com/
Fast-food at its finest. Impressive burgers and salads. Many people eating here don’t know that it is vegan! $
Must order: All Hail Kale salad

4. Real Food Daily

http://www.realfood.com/
Flavorful and healthful vegan comfort food, from hearty Mexican enchiladas to light sandwiches and wraps and everything in between. $$
Must order: Not-Chos and a Peanut Butter Cookie for dessert!

5. Vegan Glory

http://www.veganglory.com/
Tasty vegan Thai food. The lunch and dinner combos include an entrée, delicious brown rice, soup, and a spring roll! $
Must order: Tom Kah Kai Soup, Mee Grob, Cashew Nut Tofu, See-Ew Noodles, I could go on and on…

6. M Café de Chaya

http://www.mcafedechaya.com/
Mostly-vegan casual macrobiotic café. Great healthy sides and sushi! $
Must order: The Big Macro Burger with a side of Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing

7. Shojin

http://www.theshojin.com/
All-vegan Japanese food in Little Tokyo! Everything from tempura, to sushi, to noodle bowls. $$$
Must order: Any of the ramen bowls or sushi with avocado on the outside. It’s an avocado-lover’s dream!

8. Elf

http://elfcafe.com/
Charming dinner café. Mostly-vegan Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern cuisine. Elegant and creative dishes! $$$
Must order: Tahini Avocado Puree for a starter and Roasted Flatbread Shawarma for dinner!

9. Kind Kreme

http://kindkreme.com/flavors.html
All-vegan and raw ice cream shop. No one will ever miss the dairy with the creamy textures and unique flavors of their selection. $$
Must order: Superfood or Chocolate Salted Caramel

10. Pizza Cookery

http://www.pizzacookery.com/
Family-style pizzeria with sawdust on the floor! They have an extensive vegan menu like you wouldn’t believe. $$
Must order: Ask for vegan Garlic Cheese Rolls to start (they are free!). Vegan Vegetarian Deluxe Pizza and Vegan Southwestern Pizza are my favs!

I just completed my very first book tour for my very first book, Chloe’s Kitchen! Here’s my recap…

Top 5 Best Parts about a Book Tour

1. New Clothes

Bright, solid colors work best on camera, hence the rainbow wardrobe rack!

2.  Stuffing My Face!

Come on, we all know the whole point of traveling is to eat at new vegan restaurants! I had so much fun hitting up the best vegan eats in each city, including Millennium in SF and Candle Café in NYC!

3. Meeting Amazing People

Meeting my facebook friends, twitter followers, and blog readers for the first time in person is the most thrilling experience. Every single person who came out to my book signings filled me with joy, appreciation, and inspiration!

4. Mommy Time Galore

Yes, it’s true- I took my mom to every single book signing and media event. My mom is often mistaken for my publicist or manager, but I always give it away when I call “Mommy!” across the room. Oops!

5. Scouting Celebs in the Green Room!

There’s always a celebrity or two waiting in the green room of the morning shows! This time I spotted Wilmer Valderrama and Olympic skating champ Kristi Yamaguchi- score!

Top 5 Worst Parts of a Book Tour

1. Missing The Puppies

Life just isn’t the same without daily kisses from Winnie & Buster!

2. So Tired!

There was one week where a literally averaged 2 hours of sleep a night. I felt like a zombie!

3. Getting in trouble with book stores for spending too much time with each customer

Almost every store manager at my book signings reprimanded me for spending too much time talking to each guest. I was TERRIBLE at keeping the line moving because I was so excited to chat away with each person! Oh well…

4. Criticism

My brilliant friend and author Lisa Bloom shared these wise words with me before my book tour:  “The only way to not get criticized is to not do anything.”

So true. After a TV segment, there is always going to be that one person who e-mails to say they didn’t like the way you looked or something hurtful like that. No time for negativity- onto the next segment!      

5. Wearing Make-up Every Single Day

I actually love make-up... a lot! I think it is so much fun. But every single day for 3 weeks?? Sometimes my face just needs to breathe!

My mom is Jewish and my dad is Catholic, which means in my house, there’s a whole lot of gift-giving over the holidays! Here is my list of Chloe-approved holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful, and fun—perfect for everyone from your boss to your best friend! Whether you’re looking to spend $6 or $60, there’s something on this list for you. Enjoy and don’t forget to pick out a couple of items for yourself!

Going back to school means being excited about 1 of 3 things: new clothes, new school supplies, or new lunches. For me, it was always about the lunches... with new school supplies coming in as a close 2^nd!

I scream for vegan ice cream! Rev up your ice cream maker engines because the results are in from my Facebook Ice Cream Contest. I asked you to suggest your dream ice cream flavor so that I could turn it into a vegan recipe. All of your flavors sounded so ooey gooey delicious that it was nearly impossible to narrow down the list. After a weekend of making tons of batches of ice cream and taste testing spoonful after spoonful (I know, it's a hard life!), I chose my 2 favorites. I hope you enjoy these creamy creations as much as I do! And the winner is...

Red Velvet Ice Cream &
Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream